Existentialism In The Plague

The title “The plague” itself is rather contentious and opens itself up for debate throughout the novel. The novel is presented as an “historical fiction” (Picon qtd. in Brée 146) and on a literal level, it refers to an outbreak of an epidemic in the town of Oran and how the citizens must grapple with the idea of death and disease. However, the title can also be seen as an allusion to existentialism through the notion of the absurd, which states that owing to the world’s absurdity, any tragic event can happen to anyone at any time (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy) This allusion can be understood as a forewarning and philosophical statement on the part of the author that all human beings live in a constant state of plague and thus, we

The epigraph, written by Daniel Defoe states, “it is reasonable to represent one kind of imprisonment by another, as it is to represent anything that really exists by which exists not” (Defoe qtd. in the Plague 1). First it is imperative to note that this statement is taken from a former novel written by Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, which tells the story of a young impulsive wanderer who was imprisoned on an island as the sole survivor of a shipwreck. It thus becomes obvious to the reader that the text reveals one type of imprisonment that is represented by another. However, whether it is reasonable or not is an issue that Camus grapples with throughout the novel and this statement is often called into

It becomes obvious that the allegory is more complex than one would think; it is not a direct one to one allegory and symbolises totalitarianism as a whole. The novel is hereafter translated into an ethical level, as during the plague, much like Nazi occupied France, there is an option to die or to collaborate. In other words, civilians are given an option to either resist to succumb to evil. Cottard profits from plague and its hardships by providing a service as a smuggler and making various acquaintances sin the criminal underworld, whilst Rambert investigates illegal methods of escape. These two characters are seen as the epitome of evil. On the contrary, during the German occupation of France in 1941, Camus entered into active resistance that included his involvement in a significant underground group known as “Combat” and developed a title as a heroic resister (O’brien 33). Grand is presented as a foil to the author as he becomes a general secretary for the sanitation league and so Rieux offers Grand as an “insignificant and obscure hero” (102) who will ultimately combat the evil in Oran. After World War Two, France is liberated and the populace celebrate this massive feat just as the city of Oran celebrates purging of the plague. However, Rieux sombrely warns at the end of the novel that, “this joy